Hiroshima in 6 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
Six days: the full core plus Iwakuni’s bridge
Six days takes the 5-day plan and adds a sixth day at Iwakuni, close enough to pair with a relaxed departure.
| Day | Focus | Rough daily cost |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | A-Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park and Museum | Modest museum fee (verify) + ¥240 tram fares (verify) + food |
| Day 2 | Miyajima: Itsukushima Shrine, Mount Misen | ~¥200 ferry (verify) + ¥100 visitor tax (verify) + food |
| Day 3 | Hiroshima Castle, Shukkeien Garden, Hondori | Modest castle and garden fees (verify) + food |
| Day 4 | Saijo sake district, Hiroshima Museum of Art | Train fare to Saijo (verify) + modest museum fee (verify) |
| Day 5 | Onomichi day trip: temple walk, Shimanami Kaido views | Shinkansen fare varies (verify) |
| Day 6 | Iwakuni day trip: Kintaikyo bridge | Train fare, roughly 1 hour each way (verify) |
Day 1: the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park
Start at the A-Bomb Dome, the preserved ruin standing almost directly beneath the 1945 blast, then the Peace Memorial Park: the Cenotaph, the Flame of Peace, and the Children’s Peace Monument tied to Sadako Sasaki’s story. Allow at least an hour in the Peace Memorial Museum, Main Building reopened 2019, modest entrance fee (verify). Lunch at Okonomimura, roughly ¥1,000-1,500 for layered okonomiyaki (verify). Get a Hiroden day pass if today involves more than three or four tram rides.
Day 2: Miyajima, in full
Tram or JR to Miyajimaguchi, then the roughly 10-minute ferry (around ¥200 one-way, verify, plus a ¥100 visitor tax, verify) to Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Ride the ropeway partway up Mount Misen for the 535m summit, and try anago-meshi or momiji manju before heading back. Confirm the last ferry time before lingering over a late lunch on the island.
Day 3: Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien Garden
Hiroshima Castle is an honest 1958 concrete reconstruction, the bombing having destroyed the original keep; confirm current access, since one source flagged possible 2026 closures for structural deterioration. Shukkeien Garden, begun 1620 and reopened in 1951, is a short tram ride away. Spend the evening at Hondori for shopping and dinner.
Day 4: Saijo sake and the Museum of Art
Take the train to Saijo (roughly 1 hour, verify) for Sakagura Dori’s ten historic breweries, Kamotsuru and Kamoizumi among them, most offering tastings outside the October festival crowds. Back in Hiroshima, the Museum of Art, founded 1978, pairs Western European and Japanese-Western art for a modest entrance fee (verify).
Day 5: Onomichi day trip
The Shinkansen runs to Shin-Onomichi Station (fare varies, verify). Walk the hillside temple route, the 9th-century Senko-ji among the stops, and take in the Seto Inland Sea from the Shimanami Kaido’s western end. Confirm your return Shinkansen time before you set out.
Day 6: Iwakuni’s Kintaikyo bridge
A roughly 1-hour train ride (verify) reaches Iwakuni’s Kintaikyo, a five-arched wooden pedestrian bridge, about 175m long, first built in 1673 and rebuilt more than once since (most recently 1953). It’s a National Treasure and a straightforward half-day trip, leaving the afternoon free for a last pass through Hondori or an early return if your departure is the next morning. Buy any Shinkansen tickets for a following-day departure the evening before; ticket counters at Hiroshima Station get busy early, and having it sorted the night before removes one variable from a travel day.